2018 || the year in retrospect :)

Hello there earthlings. 😏

Seriously, it's been way too long since a real blog post with like, words.

All year and we've only done, 10 posts.

So, let's take a look at what's happened this year!

Becca in blue & Beth in purple!

• New job. In January I started working at our local daycare center. It was, and still is challenging, but rewarding. Now, I’m working full time teaching the preschool class.

• “New” room. After Beth moved out, I had to do something to make my bedroom look less… half empty. Time to redecorate!!!

• New pet! I bought myself a flemish giant rabbit for my birthday :) Juniper AKA Baby Shark AKA Hip Hop has a mini mansion in the backyard and currently has run of basement - mostly because she’s learned to open the door of her inside inclosure...😲

• New look :) Well, sorta. Between blog posts and youtube videos, I found out that with the right care, my unpredictable wavy hair can actually curl on it’s own! Still working out the kinks :)

• New music? Meet the SoDa Girls! Beth and I have played music with our friends Jon and Emma over the past…8 years? But with the older siblings married and busy, Emma and I are left to our own devices :) Diving deeper into the oldies scene, we’ve been exploring the sounds of blues/county, jazz, big band, gospel… armed with only a voice, uke, and piano.😜 We’ve played 9 gigs this year, and we’re hoping to do more in 2019.

And Beth has joined us for a couple preformances 

• Renewed reading :) I’ve been reading more this year! I've been on an “old romantic” kick all year. All books published 1900-1940. 
• L.M. Montgomery’s Emily Starr series. (Dare I say I liked it better than the Anne series?!)
• Bess Streeter Aldrich’s books, I think my favorite is “Song of Years”. 
• Gene Stratton Porter’s “Keeper of the Bees” (favorite!) “Laddie” and “Girl of the Limberlost”.

Your turn Beth!

New-ish Job: As of December, I’ve been working at the upholstery shop for a year. Every week is different, there’s always lots to do, and lots to learn. Even Shawn got to help with an onsite job this spring. And I babysit for a cute 2 1/2 year old little boy once a week while his mom gives piano lessons. Here's a Mr. Potato Head he helped me make. :)

New home: Little by little we’ve been doing more to make our little apartment more homey. We don’t know when buying a house will be in our future, so we’re settling in here for now. Even hanging pictures on the wall and finding the best way to rearrange furniture does a lot.

New pets: Our apartment doesn’t allow the dog and cat variety, so I bought a ten cent goldfish and Shawn named him George. After a little while, we thought George could use some friends. My mom had some baby goldfish from her pond, so we brought two home, and the next day, George was belly up. :O So much for giving him friends. That prompted Shawn to name the new fish Des and Troy, since they destroyed his dear George :P Now we have three goldfish again, three pond snails, and an antisocial apple snail.   Oh, and I found a kitten in a tree, but Shawn wouldn’t let me rescue it. :P YOU LEFT IT THERE?!?!?! Terrible. I know! But it wasn't there the next day, I checked before work.

when George was a happy, only goldfish.

His "friends"

Des, Troy, and Gil

New Blog: Shawn and I started S B Handcrafted the beginning of the year to share projects we're building.

New ride: This summer we traded our Escape for a new (to us) Taurus with lower miles to have a more dependable vehicle for road trips. Our first big adventure in it was to Rapid City for a early first anniversary trip.

Devil's tower in the distance

So there you have it, a glimpse into our year. 

As sisters, its been a challenge to stay close when we no longer live together and share the same day to day life, but we're learning. Every year brings changes, and we can trust that God is using them to bring us closer to Him and will keep leading us in His plan for our lives.

Becca recorded this song with me to play as the recessional at my wedding, but I just got around to finishing the lyric video for it this week. 😳

We have an amazing God who has taken us this far, and will take us through the years to come, whatever they may hold.

Love,

The Clever Bunnies